Govt committed to ensure food security: Razzaque

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, MP, said the present government is committed to ensure food security of the public in general as it has been working relentlessly to this end.

He said the incumbent government under the prudent and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has attained significant success in terms of food security despite the world crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

The minister came up with the observation while addressing the opening ceremony of a daylong workshop titled "Inclusion of Oilseed in the existing Cropping Pattern and Boosting production of High Yielding Rice Crops" here today as chief guest.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) jointly hosted the workshop at Shilpakala Academy auditorium.

Large number of agriculture related extension officials, scientists and researchers from different districts of the country's northwest region joined the workshop.

Minister Dr Razzaque said there are no crises related to fertilizer and fuel in the country at present and urged the field level agricultural extension and research officials to devise ways and means on how to boost food production.

Terming the country's northwest region as very much prosperous for crop production he said utmost emphasis should be given on boosting domestic production of food, including oilseed, after the best uses of the existing potentialities.

"We have to spend huge money for importing edible oil to meet up the country's demand every year but the burden could be reduced to a greater extent through local production.

He stressed the need for enhanced production of mustard seed to meet the local demand along with lessening the gradually mounting pressure on import of the edible oil.

He opined that there is an immense prospect of boosting production of the oilseed, including BARI Sarisha-18 (Canola type), after the best uses of modern varieties and technologies in the region, including its vast Barind tract.

Utmost emphasis should be given on expanding the high yielding varieties and modern technologies to the farmers so that they can avail scopes of boosting production after deriving total benefits of those, he added.

"We have enough modern farming machinery and high yielding varieties and importance should be given on reaching those to the grassroots farmers for enhancing food production," the minister added.

Chaired by Secretary of the ministry Sayedul Islam, the opening session was attended, among others, by DAE Director General Benojir Alam, BRRI Director General Dr Shahjahan Kabir, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council Dr Sheikh Boktier and Director General of Bangladesh Agriculture Research institute Dr Debashis Sarker.